Indicating mechanism



Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

Em AZ 2 SHEETS--SHEET l- INVENTOR n1" WWOod BY ms m'romv J M/A.

F. W. WOOD.

IINDICATING MECHANISM.

APPLlCATiON HLED 1AN.4, 1919.

2 suzcrs-snssr 2.

INVENTOH' Fran/t M. Wood Y HIS ATTORNEY 5' mfgodm Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT ornca.

ram w. woon, or iroumnam, m maszr, smaller. rot soar a son, mconrona'rsn, or .mrw 102x, 1!. 2., a oonromroil or m max.

mmcarnm Specification of Letters Patent. Patented 13, 1921.

Application fled January 4, ma lerlal In.

Toallwhomitmay concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK W, Wooo, a citi zen of the United States, at' Montclair, in thecounty of Essex and State vof New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Indicating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to indicating mch anism, pert more particularly to means for automatically indicating ,the direction and extent of swinging or of structures; .in otherwords, the invention is of the to automatically indicate the" positions of structures of'this type at all times.

.. While the invention maybe employedin various connections, it is particularly adapted for use in indicating the positions of rudders, and this particular use will be employed in illustrating invention, such use being of the type disclosed in my prior invention disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 914,626, March 9, 1909, the present invention pertaining more particularly to the transmitter unit of the general combination disclosed in said patent. In the present disclosure the number of individual indicating elements employed is seventeen,

an increase of two over the'number employed-in said patent,

The present inventionis designed to meet various problems arising in connwtion with providing the indications with accuracy un-' der the diflicultiesof installation and elecoperation, the wear-resisting. qualities, and general simplicity and compactness; Inaddition, the invention provides for greater increase in number of indicating points withcircuits.

out corresponding increase in number of To these and other ends, therefore, the

nature of which will be readilyunderstood as the invention is hereinafterdisclosed, said invention consists in the improved construc tions and combinations of parts hereinafter ,fully described, illustrated in the accomp'anying drawings, and more" particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which and describing the forms the basls of the present practice of similar reference characters indicate similar parts in of the views,-

Figure 1 1s a view partly in section and partly .m elevation, showing one form of transmitter which may be employedin carry- 56 ing out the present invention.

1g. 2 is a faceview of the same with the faceplate removed, parts being broken'away.

F .3isa ntaryviewindicatinga slmp way ofconnecting the'transmitter to 60 the; rudder strulgiire.

4 a p e diagrammatic, view illustra tmg the general arrangement of thecircuitmake and stationary contacts, and

5 1s a diagrammatic-view illustrating a slmple form of wiring connections between the transmitter and an indicator;

Rudder mgvemaend ts are generally limited to a-range o 90 eg.--45 degrees on 0 site sides of the fore and. it line of fi vessel-and range is rarely utilized; in fact, the. service range is practically under 80 dog, and approximately this range is that generally employed as the maximum indiof rudder movement. This fact translating rangeh of movement into a range approa tedegreelen hofa circle, being generally provi ed by a gear-ratio connection of .four-to-one, so that the angular degree limit of 80 deg. in

the rudder structure is translated into a range of approximately 320 deg. in the transvlating transmitter. trical operation, the ease and certainty of This ratio may obviously be varied as may 88 be desired .to accommodateifor other range limits-as when the'inventibn is em loyed in other uses-but for urpases of il ustration, thisratio'is emp oyed, beingadvanbreak these circuits and et present the production of blind spots in the rudder travel. This problem has been generally solved in the disclosure of the prior patent by employing a rotatable contactor or make and break element in cotiperation with properly positioned segments, these se ents being arranged in two parallel series, one series being staggered relative to the other, permitting adjacent segments to be properly insulated while providing indications throughout the range limits of the rudder. In the patented disclosure the indications are fifteen in number-seven on opposite sides of the fore and aft line, these representing the maximum number of position indications provided, thus requiring the use of a corresponding number of lamp circuits. In order to reduce the circuits as far as possible, advantage is taken of the fact that the rudder movements are generally within a small range, the increased range being provided only occasionally; this fact 1s utlhzed by extending the range zone of the infrequent circuits, the zones of those of frequent use being relatively short.

In the present invention the number of circuits is increased by two, thus correspondingly increasing the number of lamps employed. In addition, however, the contact structure is formed to produce a plurahty of additionalposition-signals by producing distinct signals formed of pairs of lamps, each pair representing an angular distance of predetermined amount, represented by the length of overlaps of the active segments.

This permits reduction in range zones of the segments and provides additional signals as well as greater uniformlty in angular distance zones. For instance, the arrangement of the present invention not only provides the two additional individual indications, but the overlapping adds thereto thirteen small zone indications presented by the twolamp signals. In other words, instead of the fifteen position signals of the patent structure, the present invention provides for thirty signals by the addition of the two circuits.

The specific" arrangement will be presently described.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, 20 indicates the main casing having an open face normally closed by a removable plate 21. Formed at a suitable point on the periphery is a suitable tubular extension open to the interior of the casing and which forms a passageway for the various electrical leads extending into the casing chamber.

The internal periphery of the casing is circular and, together with an annular seat 20*, serves to position a composite or builtup stationary contact structure shown in section in Fig. l andmore or less diagrammatically in Fig. 4. This structure com- Contacts 24 and 25 have their segment arrangement substantially as shown in Fig. 4, being built up generally of metallic and insulating segments in alternation, the insulating segments-being shown in section. On the contrary, contact 23 is shown as a metallic ring.

a The various terminal studs are indicated at 28, these having their inner ends secured to the proper contact portions, with the outer ends projecting beyond ring 26 and carrying clamping nuts for maintaining the structure and for lead connection. Each stud is insulated from the parts through which itpasses by an insulating bushing 29.

A diagrammatic view of. the composite contact structure is presented in Fig. 4, in which the studs are shown in their approximate locations, the numerals shown being similar to those shown in Fig. 2 and of the lamp numbers in Fig. 5, these views indicating the general arrangement by which the positions of the contacts are made effective to indicate rudder positions.

By reference to Fig. 4 it will be seen that contact 23 has but a single stud which connects one side of the main circuit to the system, as shown in Fig. 5, Contacts 24 and 25, however, are built up from segmentsmetallic and insulating-each active metallic segment carrying its individual stud. As shown, the metallic segments of one contact are in substantial alinement with the insulating segments of the other contact;

This alinement is accurate in the three positions indicated as l, 2 and 10, the remaining metallic segments, however, having an overlapping arrangement, as indicated, for instance, in the positions 3, 4 and 5, the'structure being preferably arranged in such manner that the length of overlap is substantially equal; for instance, in the particular embodiment shown, the overlap of segments for positions 3 and 4 is an angular distance of four degrees representing the angular distance of one degree in the rudder movement. In operation, the movement of the contactor, presently described, would complete the circuit through lamp 3 as long as it contacts the correspondingly numbered segment. Before passing out of contact with this segment 3 it also passes intwcontact with segment 4 during movement to the left in Fi 4 and completes the circuit for lamp 4, bot

lamps being made active during the travel of the overlapping distance, lamp 3 becoming inactive when the contactor breaks cir- I of the two circuits will, in itself, provide an.

indicatingsignal' of a distinctive type, not

only asto'visibility, but also-in that it can be confined to a comparatively short and definite angular distance without liability of arcing. And by producing-these distinctive signals at desired points, the'observer of ing axis, these ber pinned or otherwise positively the indicator can more readily and accurately determine the reading and govern his succeeding actions accordingly.

The contactor or movable circuit make and break member 30 is shown as in the form of a-metallic member having three pockets or cavities '30 having their axes parallel and extending in a plane which includes the caspockets being adapted to receive brushes 31 yieldably supported in suitable manner as by springs 32. The inner portion of the contactor may be mountedon a rotatable support in suitable manner, a preferred way being to provide. a ringshaped portion 30" which is secured to a flange 33 of a shaft 33, rtion 30 being insulated from the flange in any preferred way. In Fig. 1 this-mounting is shown as in the form of a plurality of screws arranged to accurately position the contactor on the shaft and rigidly connect it thereto so that the structure is readily taken apart and assembled when desired. Shaft 33 is rotatively mounted in face plate 21 and in the opposite'wall of the casing axially of the composite contact structure, so that the movement of the contactor will provide approximately uniform conditions throughout its travel.

Shaft 33extends through the casing wall and has its exposed end provided with a pinion 34 keyed or otherwise secured thereto external of the chamber in which the electrical elements are located. The movements of this pinion control the circuit make and break action of the apparatus, and these movements are provided by the mechanism now to be described.

35 designates an inclosing housing more or less cup-shaped and which is removably secured to the main casing 20; this housing, with the inner wall of casing 20 forms a second compartment in which pinion 34 and its operating mechanism is located. The housing has a central bearing 35 through which extends a shaft-like portion 36 of an annular member 36preferably more or less spider-like in formationwhich also carries a stud 36 which is seated and rotatable in a socket in the end of shaft 33, the mounting being such that shaft 33. and member 36 with its portions 36 and 36 are rotatable on alined axes.

Member 36 carries an annular internal .gear 37, which may be formed integral with member 36 but is preferably a separate memplositioned relatively thereto, said gear 37 mes ing with wall, said gears meshing with pinion 34.

While but one gear may be utilized, I prefer to employ at least two of such gears, thus tending to decrease the efi'ect of the thrust strains on the pinion by distributing. these strains and producing a more balanced operatlon. o

The outer exposed end shaft portion 36* carries a lever 39 of suitable length, the free end of which has a link connection with an arm 40 carried as a part of the rudder struc-' ture. It will be understood, of course that the linkis connected at equal distances from the axes of the rudder structure and the transmitterl I :By the general arrangement of the opera mechanism described, it will be understood that the angular movements of lever 39" will be translated onto pinion 34 through the movements of gears 37 and 38, the parts having the effect of multiplying the length of movement through the gear ratio involved, the particular ratio shown being of the four-to-one type.

By the general construction shown, a number of advantages are obtained. F or instance, by having all movements of the transmitter on a single axis, I am able to employ a more compact structure, since. the operating mechanism is practically side by side with the circuit make and break mechanism; but one shaft structure is located within the. contact compartment and that is central of the contact structure and least likely to affect the contact structure; the thrusts provided by the angular movements of lever 39 and the multiplying action of the gear ratio approach more closely a balanced condition, a itive advantage ially in cases where t e rudder is rapidly s -fted from one extreme to another; it permits the formation of two substantially independent compartments"one for the electrical structures, the other for the operating mechanism; it permits the use, if desired, of a constant lubrieating action for the operating mechanism, through the ability to fill the non-electrical compartment with a lubricant such as ase; and it enables the structure to be ormed in a manner to permit ready assemblage and take-down when necessary, whether it be of the electrical or operating side or both, each forming a general unit which can be handled separately without disturbing the other.

For purposes of disclosure, the lamps of the indicator are numbered numerically from 1 to 17 the various circuit connections of the transmitter being correspondingly numbered. The general arrangement of these circuits is shown in Fig. 5, wherein a source of electrical supply is shown at 41, one side of this supply leading to contact 23 and the other side to a terminal 42 common to the several lamp circuits, the latter beingindi rated at 43 as extending between contacts 24 and 25 and terminal 42' with a lamp 44 located in each circuit. As will be under- 5 stood, circuits 43 are made active when contactor 30 bridges contact 23 and either or both contacts 24 and 25. l

I While I have herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be readily understood that changes or modification therein may be found desirable or essential in meeting the various exigencies of use and I desire to be understood as reserving the right to make any and all such v 1. In mechanism for automatically indicating positions of swinging or oscillating structures andwherein the indicator includes a plurality of normally-inactive indieating members each indicating a definite angular position of the structure, means for controlling the activity of the members, said means including, a transmitting mechanism operative to translate the structure movements to the indicator through independent electrical circuit connections, said latter mechanism includinga pair of stationary circuit make and break contacts each having segments individual to predetermined members, and a contactor movable relatively to said contacts, said contacts having a predetermined segment of one contact overlapping a segment zone of the other contact to produce a distinct indicating signal representing a definite angular distance in structure travel.

\ 2. In mechanism for automatically indicating positions of swinging or oscillating structures and wherein the indicator flux-- cludes a plurality of normally-inactive indicating members each indicating a definite angular position of the structure, means for controlling the activity of the members, said means including a transmitting mechanism operative to translate the structure movements to the indicator through independent electrical circuit connections, said latter mechanism including a pair of stationary circuit make and break contacts each having spaced-apart segments, the total segments corresponding in number to the number of indicating members and with a segment and member individually connected, and a contactor movable relatively to said contacts, said contacts being relatively positioned to normally render said members active individually, certain of said segments being relatively arranged to produce concurrent activity of adjacent members during travel of the contactor through a predetermined anchangesor modifications as may be found' desirable or essential in so far as the same gular distance and predetermined angular thereof for rotating said member, said means including gearing rotatably mounted in said chamber coaxially with said member, said.

chamber being constructed to provide a Inbricating compartment for t e gearing.

4. In apparatus for indicating the position of a movable structure, transmitting mechanism including a rotatable contact member, contact elements in the path of the member and adapted to be successively engaged thereby, a casing in which said member is mounted, provided with an-inclosed chamber, gearing mounted in said chamber, including a pinion coaxial with said contact member, said chamber being constructed to provide a lubricating compartment for the gearing, and means connecting the structure and gearing for actuating said gearing to rotate the contact member upon movements of the structure.

f5. In mechanism for indicating positions 0 termined limits and wherein the shifting movements control the activity of electrical circuits, transmitting mechanism including a contactor, a pivoted support therefor, stationary contacts in the path of travel of the contactor to produce therewith a circuit make and break device, a pivoted member forming a support for the element and having a portion supported by and axia-lly alined with the axis of the contactor support, and means between said member and contactor support for providing concurrent movements therebetween, said'means' being operative to produce movements of the contactor support of an angular length multiplied in definite proportion relative to the angular len h of member movement.

6. In mec anism for indicating positions of a pivoted element shiftable within predetermined limits and wherein the shifting movements control the activity of electrical circuits, transmitting mechanism including a contactor, a pivoted support therefor, stationary contacts in the path of travel of the contactor to produce therewith a circuit make and break device, a pivoted member forming a support for the element and having a portion supported by and axially alined with the axis of the contactor support and gear connections between said member and contactorsu port for providing concurrent movements t erebetween, said gear conneca pivoted element shiftable within prede-' tions being operative to produce movements of the contactor support of an angular length multiplied in definite proportion relative to the angular length of member movement.

7. In circuit make and break transmitting mechanism, the combination with a pivoted contactor and its support, and stationary contacts in the path of travel of the contactor, of means for moving said contactor, said means including a gear carried by and axially alined with the contactor support, a pivoted member having its axis alined with such gear axis, said member carrying a gear face, and a fixedly positioned gear opera-- tively connecting said gear face and said support gear.

8. In circuit make and break transmitting mechanism, the combination with a pivoted contactor and its support, and stationary contacts in the path of travel of the contactor, of means for moving said contactor, said means including a gear carried by and axially alined with the. contactor or support, a pivoted member having its axis alined with such gear axis, said member carrying a gear face, anda plurality of fixedly-positioned gears each operatlvely connecting said gear face with the supported gear.

9. In circuit make and break transmitting mechanism, the combination with a pivoted contactor and its support, and stationary contacts in the path .of travel of the contactor, of means for moving said contactor, said means including a gear carried by and axially alined with the cont-actor support, a

pivoted member having its axis alined with such gear axis, said member carrying an annular gear face, and a pair of fixedly positioned gears operatively connecting the gear face with the support gear, said pair of gears being of equal diameter and positioned on substantially diametrically opposite sides of the support gear.

10. In circuit make and brake transmitting mechanism, a pivoted contactor and its support, stationary contacts in the path of travel of the contactor, and means for moving the contactor pivotally, said support including an anular flange lntermediate the ends of the support, said contactor including an annular portion surrounding and spaced from the support, and an insulating structure, said annular portion and insulating structure being removably secured to said flange.

11. In circuit make and break transmitting mechanism, a pivoted contactor and its support, stationary contacts in the path of travel of the contactor, a casing for the contactor and contacts with the contactor support mounted in the casing walls, said support carrying a gear external of a casing wall, a housing removably supported by the casing, a pivoted member within the housing and having a portion extending external. of the housing, means for operatively connecting said member and gear to provide concurrent angular movements therebetween with the extent of movement dissimilar in definite proportions, and an actuating member external of the housing, said casing wall serving to isolate the housing and casing interiors 12. In circuit make and break transmitting mechanism, a pivoted contactor and its support, stationary contacts in the path of travel of the contactor, a casing forthe contactor and contacts with the contactor support mounted in the casing walls, said support carrying a gear external of a casing wall, a housing removably supported by the casing, a pivoted member within the housing, said member having its axis extendingin alinement with the support axis, and having a portion extending external of the housing, means for operativel connecting said member and gear to provi e concurrent angular movements therebetween with the extent of movement dissimilar in definite proportions, and an actuating member external of the housing, said casing wall serving to isolate the housing and casing interiors.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set m hand.

y FRANK W. WOOD. 

